Taking a Lap
by SplashofColour
Summary: Gou gets the perfect summer job at a summer camp. Sousuke due to his injury cannot participate in swim activities, so he take a similar job. Will a romance blossom before Gou cracks under his teasing and slaughters him? SouGou
1. Nearly Perfect

"Ah! This is the life!" Gou kicked back and sipped her ice tea. Her pink bathing suit cover up draped over the back of her fold-out pool chair. She knew she had the best summer job out of all her friends. Rei and Nagisa were booked at a swim camp that she had found and coordinated with the director. She had been supposed to go, but the swim club's popularity had grown, and the booking was only for seven people, so seven team members had gone. At first, she had been upset, because everyone had seemed to have left her behind. Rin's team – and by extension Makoto's and Haru's – had gone to a swim camp as well.

"Kou!" The little angel face stared up at her. Gou smiled not so much because of the cuteness but more because she now had a whole little summer paradise where people called her "Kou" and made her feel girly.

"Yes?" Gou peered through her sunglasses at the youngster.

"Erin is splashing me!" Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly paradise.

"Erin, quit that, or I will go get Goro so help me!" Gou turned to the little girl. "Better?"

She grinned slyly and giggled making Gou feel like she had just assisted a demon. The girl promptly ran along.

Gou sighed and leaned back into her lounge chair. She was in charge of "free swim time" which seemed to be code for "Just don't let anyone drown." All in all, it was perfect. She sat in her chair soaking up the sun in her adorable light pink bikini and felt all kinds of warm.

"Your ass is going to get fat if you never do anything."

Okay, there was one problem that she preferred to ignore. Sousuke – who hadn't scored a swim scholarship on account of his injured shoulder – had also gotten a job here. He was a beautiful, exquisite piece of muscular perfection that had decided to act as the long-reaching arm of her brother whom she loved but had suddenly developed a protective streak with his personality change. It was cute until Sousuke had decided to play the new 'big brother'.

She ignored him.

"Hey," he placed his hands on both of the arm rests of the lounge chair effectively caging her in. "Did you hear me?"

Gou cheeks heated in anger. All she wanted was a break! He was the swim instructor. Not her. She was a supervisor.

"I heard you," she puffed leaning closer to his face. "For your information, I just broke up a fight."

He stood up, and Gou found herself staring. He jerked a thumb at a little boy sitting on the edge of the pool. "You mean that fight?"

She suddenly felt guilty. "Little demon," she muttered. She knew that little girl was made of evil.

"Erin," she called. The little boy jumped and looked fearfully at her. _I look cute dammit! Not scary!_ "Come here!"

He walked over. "Yes?"

"Did you splash Chidori?"

He looked back at the pool, and Gou could see the little monster staring over the edge.

"I'm not going to be mad at you," she said softly. "If Chidori is bullying you, you need to tell me, so I can make sure everyone has fun at swim camp especially great swimmers like you."

"You think I'm good?" The look of awe was so sweet Gou thought she would get cavities.

"Of course."

He looked at his feet. "She doesn't bully me. She just tells lies."

"Well, if it happens again, I'll take care of it," she said ruffling his hair and smiling.

"Miss Kou, you're really cute."

Her stomach did flips. _Ah! This is paradise!_ "Go play now."

He ran back to the pool and cannonballed into the water. She turned to Sousuke trying to put her annoyance in her face, but it just wasn't there anymore. The little boy's predicament was something she should've seen, and he had completely melted her heart.

"Happy now?"

"Of course, Miss Kou," Sousuke grinned back at her with an evil glance.

"It's somehow not endearing at all when you say it."

"Whatever do you mean, Miss Kou?"

Gou scowled up at him or what she thought was him. The sun was shining directly into her gaze. She pointed to the left.

"Can you move a little? I can't see the kids."

Sousuke stepped, and she was instantly in the shade. His black hair and body glistened from a recent swim. The little droplets were clinging in the nooks and crannies formed by his pectorals. She licked her lips absentmindedly deciding that if Sousuke just stood there without talking that she would have the absolute best summer job. Realization dawned on Sousuke that Gou was using him as human sunglasses, and he grinned.

"No," Gou shouted as Sousuke reached down into the chair grabbing her waist.

"I'm just looking out for your weight. Everyone is invited into the pool."

"I am NOT fat! Now put me down!"

Sousuke threw her over his shoulder her face on his back and fists flying. He sighed.

"As you wish."

She would like to say she didn't scream. She would like to say Sousuke realized the error of his ways and sat her right back where he found her. Unfortunately, she came up out of the pool water which was only five feet deep spluttering and drenched.

"You-"

Sousuke shook his finger at her and flicked his eyes to the watching children.

"-poopyhead!" It wasn't the best insult, but it was at least PG.

Little Eren appeared behind Sousuke and pushed on the back of his knee. The surprise on his face had to be the best thing Gou had witnessed all day, and the sound of his impromptu belly flop made her inner demons sing praises.

But she was a supervisor. "Don't push people, Eren," she said sternly with a wink.

Sousuke came up coughing and gasping.

"Karma," she offered slyly.

He turned his head slightly and a devilish grin split his face chilling Gou to the bone. "Oh. Karma, is it?"

"No. No. No," she sputtered splashing him and backing up.

"What's wrong, Gou?"

Gou felt the pool edge at her back. Sousuke's steady steps grew closer, and she knew she was trapped.

"Hey! What's going on in here?!"

Goro raced into the pool and skidded to a stop taking in the scene. She silently thanked God that Sousuke was still a respectable distance away.

"Sou threw Kou in the pool," piped up Eren.

"Eren pushed Sou into the pool," mumbled a disgruntled Chidori.

Goro's face hardened. "Sousuke, why are you even here?"

"It's my break," he said in that infuriatingly lazy voice.

"Gou, don't let this happen again. Pay attention and quit playing around."

She glared at Sousuke. "It won't happen again."

"You two can think about that when you clean the pool this evening."

"What," she squeaked. If she cleaned the pool, she wouldn't be out of here in time to meet Hana. _And it's all Sousuke's fault._

"I can do it, Goro. Gou cleaned it yesterday."

She looked incredulously at Sousuke.

"I know that," Goro said disapprovingly. "Would you rather find a new job?"

"No, sir," they both answered in unison. Goro was usually cheery until he found someone slacking or endangering his business. He was a great friend and boss, but all the workers feared this side of him.

"Then you'll both be here this evening. Let's go, Sousuke. I think there's a new student for you to teach."

Sousuke swam to the edge of the pool and heaved himself over and out giving Gou an enviable view of his ass. Maybe cleaning wouldn't be so bad as usual. They're usually divided into the supervisor and instructor crews which is code for mostly women and mostly men. She felt little fingers wrap around her hand. She looked down to see little Erin looking distraught.

"Are you mad at me?"

"Oh. No. Sweetie, you're fine."

Erin smiled a little and reddened. "I didn't want to get you in trouble, Miss Gou."

She blanched. "My name is Miss Kou."

"Sou called you Gou, and I want to be just like Sou when I grow up," Erin said wistfully.

Yes, her job was perfect. There was just one problem.

Hello! I'm actually really excited about this fic. I had been planning MakoGou, but this seemed more explainable, and I'm looking forward to much more of Sousuke's teasing. I know my Gou is not typical of the show. She's more sassy, and I'm just going to say that it's because Sousuke is a family friend - like a brother.

I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Please review and be excited for fluff and stuff. :)


	2. A Brotherly Love

It was before Rin's swim boot camp. He had come home for a couple of days to visit his parents and Gou, and, of course, Sousuke happened to be in the area. Rin knew that. Sousuke continued to lurk around his house. No matter the amount that Rin chided his mother, she cooked, and as it had been since their friendship had budded, where food existed Sousuke existed. But Rin was leaving and had been gone for a year already, and it had been hell. But now he had a plan to change all of that.

Rin had begun to notice something now that distance was between him and his family. Gou was growing up, and she was growing up well. She wasn't a big fan of social media, but every now and then she posted a shit ton of pictures of her, Hana, and her school friends. Originally, Rin had dismissed this as harmless until he noticed a taller boy with a certain infuriating downward gaze eyeing his sister's goods. This was not acceptable.

So he came home for a couple days and waited for Sousuke to lurk into his parent's house, so he could have a little chat with him. Sousuke was like a brother to him – a little brother that would easily be coerced into doing his bidding. Rin and Sousuke had been in shenanigans before, and he was sure that he could paint a convincing picture to get them into shenanigans again.

One evening Rin and Ai were over watching some dull movie that Gou picked out. It was all about a hapless girl that somehow lands a complete hunk of a man which Rin really doubted was realistic – a concept that he pointed out a couple of times earning a glare and a pinch from Gou. Ai was sitting in front of the couch with Gou weaving little braids into his hair. If it were anyone but Ai sighing at his sister's touch in front of a sappy movie, he would kill them, but Rin had roomed with Ai. He knew he was just as much of a romantic as Gou. But not every boy was Ai. Most were the scum of the earth – another fact that he was generally hurt for when pointed out to Gou.

The doorbell rang, and Rin immediately volunteered to jump up and retrieve the pizza to escape the movie and the pair's longing eyes. It nearly sickened his predatory soul. He opened the door and handed the delivery man $40.

"Keep the change."

Unfortunately, the money was plucked from his hands by Sousuke who did not happen to be carrying a pizza. Sousuke dangled the $40 in front of Rin's face. Rin's eyes narrowed.

"Not funny, dude."

A giggle sounded from living room, and Sousuke poked his head around the corner.

"Is Gou here?"

"Yeah. What of it? She does live here." Rin bristled a little at the question. "Give me my money back, prick."

"No reason, and no, I can keep the change." Sousuke pushed passed Rin into the entryway and began taking his shoes off.

"You didn't give me anything for it!" Rin closed the door behind him. "Jerk," he huffed.

"What are you doing back here?"

"About to head to summer camp. I thought I'd come visit for the weekend before."

Sousuke and he walked to the living room entrance, and Rin noticed Gou's top had slipped down revealing too much – in his opinion – cleavage and reminded him of that trampy picture online.

"Gou!" She jumped. "Pull up your shirt! Geez! You're going to blind everybody!"

"Brother!" Her little face was terribly red and angry. "Shut up! We're trying to watch a movie!"

But she pulled her shirt up.

 _Mission accomplished_ , Rin thought to himself.

Sousuke was discreetly looking off into a corner with a blush spreading across his face. Rin was dense. He did not take this as an indication that Sousuke might have been scoping out the playing field. He merely took this as an indication of Sousuke trying to keep his heart pure. Of course, Sousuke was partially responsible for this as he played up his "crush" on Hana quite hard while they were alone. Rin could not see why he was infatuated with that pervert that Gou frequently invited to their house, but who was he to judge?

"Come here." Rin motioned to the kitchen. Sousuke eagerly took the distraction. "Look. Gou's growing up."

"What do you mean?"

"She's getting boobs," Rin rolled his eyes. "And an ass."

"Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Quit fidgeting! I know we wouldn't have noticed." Rin rolled his eyes. "We're her brothers!"

Sousuke swallowed. "I'm not."

"You're _practically_ her brother. We've been together, since only God knows how long. The point is I'm not going to be here this summer or probably next year. I can't beat off the creepers."

"So?"

"You're in charge of keeping her safe."

Sousuke looked at Gou twittering behind Ai about something adorable the female protagonist said. "Me?"

"Yes, you! Look at me!" Rin locked eyes with Sousuke. "I need someone I can trust. A mean imposing fellow that won't view my sister as something to – " Rin glanced at Gou then leaned in and whispered, "- fuck. I don't want one hair on her head harmed when I get back. She needs to be precious and innocent still. Understand?"

Sousuke's face was a bit pale when he squeaked out a "Yeah. I – uh – think I can do that."

Rin smiled and pulled him into a bro hug.

"I knew I could trust you, man. Wanna watch a shitty movie with us?"

"Sure."

The doorbell rang. "Oh. That's probably the pizza."

Rin snatched the $40 from Sousuke and headed to grab the two large pizzas from the actual delivery boy this time. When he returned, he noticed Sousuke had shoved himself into Ai's spot forcing the boy further down the couch with a glare. Gou also was frowning down at Sousuke who had forced out her plaything. Sousuke for all his paleness earlier looked quite content if a little frustrated. Rin smiled. His best friend was apparently very good at his new job, or at least, that was the way he saw it.

As you can imagine, Rin was quite upset when he received a phone call about Sousuke apparently manhandling his sister and nearly forcing her to lose her job. Of course, Rin was aware Sousuke had probably instigated it. He had noticed Sousuke taking extra delight in tormenting Gou who really had become disgusted at the sight of Sousuke.

Rin was pacing up and down the cabin room that he shared with three other boys. There were two sets of bunk beds in the room. Makoto and Haru were sitting side-by-side watching him pace and running a really annoying commentary. Well, it was mostly Makoto's voice, and Haru's nods.

"I wonder how heavy she was? Did he just grab her waist and lift her up or carry her princess style?"

Haru shrugged.

"I've only seen girls being carried princess style in weddings."

Rin gritted his teeth. That was not happening.

"They're not getting married!"

Makoto shrugged. "I didn't say that."

"Good,"Rin huffed. "Because it's not happening."

"Gou always said Sousuke had the best overall muscle structure." Haru's deadpan words earned him a slow predatory head turn.

"That's true," added Makoto. "She often used him as an example for us to aspire to."

Haru nodded.

"JUST STOP! SOUSUKE IS MY BROTHER!"

Silence reigned for a moment.

"Well, not technically," Makoto shrugged.

Rin let loose a scream of exasperation and resumed his pacing while trying to get the images of his precious little sister and Sousuke out of his head.

"He does not like my little sister." Rin was trying to sound reasonable. "He's liked Hana for at least… years."

Rin dug his cell phone out and placed it on the bed between Makoto and Haru. He dialed Sousuke and hit speaker phone. The phone rang twice and then picked up.

"Hey, man."

"Do you still like Hana?"

"What? Do you have me on speaker?"

"Just answer the damn question! Are you still pining after Hana like a little bitch?!"

"… Yes." Makoto and Haru exchanged a look.

"See?" Rin triumphantly looked at Makoto and Haru who were not exchanging a look.

"You did have me on speaker! You asshole!"

"Save it. And quit getting my little sister in trouble! You're supposed to protect her from lecherous bastards. Not endanger her career. By the way, how's she doing?"

"Fine. I did most of the pool cleaning. She still has a job."

"You didn't leave her there? You're walking her home, right?"

"Yeah. Just like always. She's here. Gotta go, man."

"See ya."

The phone clicked off.

"See," Rin said triumphantly.

Makoto and Haru exchanged a look. "Yeah. Definitely just brotherly love."

Hey, everybody!

I know that you guys saw the "Chapter 2" I posted. (Sorry, tammy tam tam!) Honestly, I hated it and thought about how to improve it all day then realized that I had started it off completely on the wrong foot. I am much more pleased with this one. I hope you guys all like it! C.A.M.E.O1 and ONLY suggested Rin's anger in this which I thank her very much for. I also promise more SouGou teasing and problematic instances in the next chapter!

As always, I love reviews!

And thanks for reading!


	3. Senpai

Sousuke didn't think of himself as a particularly complicated guy. He had dreams and aspirations just like everyone else. His first love may have been ripped away taking him a year back, but it wasn't all bad. He had plenty of time to study for his entrance exams, right?

This is what he was doing on his day off. He didn't have to go work. He didn't have to go anywhere really. And it was making his skin crawl. He sighed and sat the book down on the café table leaning back in his seat. He closed his eyes and blew a strand of hair out of his face.

His inner monologue was puttering along something like this: _This GODDAMN ALL IN-FUCKING-CLUSIVE TEST is the most PRETENTIOUS BULLSHIT that my SINGLE SUBJECT MAJOR has to face to get into this-_ and it droned on and on. He had never been the best at studying. Mediocre, yes, but he would not be able to get in the way he had hoped anymore. Sports had been his security, and if he wanted a future, he needed to get smarter. An image of Gou popped in his head at the thought of a future, and he furrowed his brows chasing the image away.

"What are you doing?" The familiar deadpan voice brought him abruptly out of his daydream. His head popped up so fast that his chair wobbled and pivoted just as a chair shouldn't, and his ass hit the ground sending a violent shudder up his spine.

Gou stood in front of him. Her surprise slowly turned to hysterical laughter, and his stormy expression overtook his face making his pride hurt more than necessary. Tears were pricking at the corners of her eyes, and she looked utterly more adorable than he could stand.

"So lady-like," he muttered sarcastically as he brushed his legs and stood up righting his chair in what he hoped was a dignified manner.

Gou shut up and shut down immediately wiping her smile off her face. "Have fun picking up your dignity."

He cringed inwardly and backpedaled looking for a way to save himself as she walked away from his table. The busy sidewalk threatened to gobble her up if he didn't do something fast.

"Sit." She kept walking. "Gou. GOU!"  
"WHAT?!" Her cheeks were red and angry.

He narrowed his eyes at her and calmed his hammering heart. "Sit." He gestured to the chair across from him. The outdoor sitting area seemed suddenly more crowded than it had when he had been engrossed in studying.

She looked from the chair to him with that same stormy face… then sighed. Sousuke released the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding when she sat down in the chair. Her tank top wrinkled a bit when she tucked her skirt under her thighs, and he knew he had won.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

She rolled her eyes and pointed meaningfully at the book in front of him. "I asked what you were doing."

"Studying," he replied.

The silence stretched again before Gou broke it. "Why did you call me back?"

Sousuke smiled and purred, "Because I hate watching you leave."

He was rewarded by a startled blush which he liked very much, but it quickly died. "What?"

"I forgot who I was talking to for a second."

He chuckled to hide his disappointment. He was going to always be her protector – a brother who is not a brother.

She picked up his book and began flipping through it. "I want a shake."

He quirked an eyebrow but waved a waiter over anyway. "One large shake."

"Small," she corrected.

Sousuke didn't miss a beat. "Large."

"Small!"

"Large. I'm buying."

The waiter nodded and returned Sousuke's smile before bustling away.

"I said small." Gou's eyes bored into him intently, and her flush had ran down her neck.

Sousuke leaned forward crossing his arms. "And I said that I'm buying. Are you afraid that you'll get fat or something?"

Gou bit her lip not wanting to say. "It's just that - … the small one is more lady like."

Sousuke frowned at her. He never truly understood Gou's obsession with being adorable - or what she thought was adorable. He knew it was partially his and Rin's fault. They had grown up with her being the "maiden" of their games or simply excluding her from them altogether, but Sousuke had become fond of the tomboy-ish side of Gou. It was something special that few people seemed to notice. She had had years of covering it up after all.

"You think you're going to get fat."

"I am not going to get fat!"

He laughed at her steely expression as she huffed, puffed, and went back into the book using it to hide her face from him. A fond smile spread across his face.

"I'm using this book, too."

"Really?"

"Yes," she huffed. "We're going to be in the same grade at the university, so we should be taking the same entrance exams."

He smiled and laughed a little too indulgently. He rather hated the idea of being on the same level as Gou. He was used to being the older more aloof individual in the relationship and was not too keen on changing that any time soon.

She laid the book down and looked sheepishly at him. "We could – "

The waiter sat the shake down between them. It was vanilla with a cookie placed on the edge like a lemon slice. Gou's eyes stared hungrily at it as she took a straw tearing the wrapper and folding it into a little square.

"We could what?"

Gou gulped her sip. "Nothing."

Sousuke plucked the cookie off the side right before Gou's fingers snatched it. He waved it in front of her in a teasing manner. "We could what?"

She stuck her tongue out at him and smiled in a way that he hadn't seen her smile in awhile. Gou always had a façade that stayed up, but sometimes they slipped back into their roles in each other's lives silently and quickly. She would become relaxed and stop worrying about her demeanor and appearance focusing solely on the present. Sousuke was comfortable here. He grinned impishly and feigned biting the cookie.

"Okay! We could study together!"

He laughed and handed her the cookie. She snatched it quickly before he could change his mind. "I mean, we have the same book. We're taking the same exams at the same university at the same time. Plus, we work together, so it'll make scheduling easier. And I've already got a head start on you, _big brother_."

Sousuke was not amused at the last part, and his eyes darkened to a mischievous glint. He reached across the table breaking off half of Gou's precious cookie.

"Be kind to me, senpai," he said happily popping the cookie.

He was pleased to note that if Gou could have found a proper hole she would probably have died in it right then and there.

I did it again. Posted a chapter then replaced it. I hated the original Chapter 3 again and decided to wait until inspiration struck. This is the second chapter I've posted today where Gou flusters her intended. Of course TAL is always much fluffier than anything else I write. I hope everyone is happy about this.


	4. War and Love

Gou had lost her mind. She knew that could be the only explanation. She had offered to help her own personal demon. Yes, she gained from it. Yes, she was sure that she could pass without his teasing, innuendos, and overall performance of being an ass. It would be just like old times, really – exactly like the time he had helped her to study in an effort to get into Rin's ritzy Australian school – a time of blood, sweat, and tears and the occasional delightful hug made of sculpted biceps and pectorals which she certainly only viewed from a researchable perspective. This reminiscence had led to Gou actively seeking out dark corners at work. Goro was positively thrilled. Did he need someone to slug through the ridiculous amounts of paperwork during the lunch break? By God, yes he did! Did he need someone to clean out the detestable band aid filled filters? She was his girl! Did he need someone to participate in a joint practice with the older age group that happened to be over seen by a beautiful idiot? Well, she really had to count the pool floats, and it just couldn't be helped.

She wasn't avoiding him. She was avoiding the inevitable question that was always hanging on his lips when she made eye contact with him. He would shift from foot to foot looking like a fish that had suddenly found itself in a pot of hot water. Coincidentally, he would turn the same shade of red if she graced him with her presence for long enough. Sousuke had always had a problem asking her for help of any kind of help (She assumed it was, because he was a strong independent man who don't need no woman. Hana disagreed and frustratingly enough wouldn't tell her any other opinion.), and she was using this to her obvious advantage.

Which brings us to nearly a week after her initial invitation. She was sitting in the pool storage area during another joint practice knowing that there were exactly 12 pairs of arm floats (one pair that didn't match but worked), 45 pool noodles, 27 diving toys (12 rings, 14 rods, and a plastic dinosaur), no splash balls left, and 47 and a half kickboards. She had reorganized it at least three times this week and could find absolutely everything anyone could want. The single pull string light hanging in the center of the room gave a gloomy and dark feeling to the room which echoed the doom and ticking clock that she knew she was on.

Her adorable persona that she had endeavored to create was doing her little good stuck in the dark damp closet, and she hated it. A week of her precious summer was gone, and she was no closer to having the adorable summer romance that she had hoped for. She imagined walks on the beach, snow cones, and candle lit dinners, and she was going to have it if she had to date herself.

She sighed picturing herself chatting aimlessly over a tea light and a sandwich in – you guessed it – this god forsaken closet. Perhaps she could pull a Castaway and name a pool float "Wilson" or something.

 _Depressing._

"Miss Gou?"

She grimaced at Sousuke's influence over her sweet little Eren.

"Yes?"

"Sou wanted me to tell you something."

She could tell the little boy was uncomfortable, so she forced her best smile. She was sure the shadows in the room were making her look about 80 years old right now. "Go on, honey. You can say it."  
The little boy turned the most adorable shade of red at the endearment, and Gou was grateful that at least someone found her cute even if he was way below her age range. _Perhaps the next one can be legal_ , she mused hopefully.

"Sou says that you should do your job," Eren blurted. "I told him that he was wrong, and you were the best instructor ever!"

Gou was grateful for the defense even if her supervising free swim was very little instructing and more soaking up her own momentary happiness, and Eren looked adorable with those little cheeks puffed out and his eyebrows drawn together.

"Can you tell Sou that I said he's a… meany head and that I hope he… likes long walks and short piers?" It was the best PG cursing she could do off the top of her head, and it roughly translated to "I'm doing my job, idiot. Feel free to go jump off a bridge". She could only imagine the tongue lashing Goro would give her when a disgruntled parent came in wanting to know why Eren had suddenly gotten so creative when he was punished.

Eren furrowed his brows not understanding but nodding sagely before scampering off to do her bidding. It was almost like she controlled a small army through the use of popularity which – all things considered – wasn't so bad.

Sousuke was not thrilled at all when he received the lovely message via Eren. He would've been blind to not notice Gou's avoidance and had secretly filed away all of the little hideaways that she had been collecting. It was easy to notice how clean the storage room was especially when the normal state could be mistaken for a teenage boy's dorm room complete with some of the worker's explicit objects.

And so a list began to be compiled between the two:

The antics and the name calling had to end eventually though, and it was Sousuke who begged, pleaded, and flexed his way out of work again to a female staff member, so he could stalk down to free swim in his own personal storm cloud. Gou could feel the prickles on her skin as he entered the room. Fortunately, they had an Olympic swimming pool between them, and she was armed with the water hose which she had been using to top off the pool. And she had an army.

She leaned down to the nearest child, pointed, and whispered, "Sou has come to play!"

The sentence rippled through the small crowd and culminated into a small mob that began vying for Sousuke's attention. Gou simply stood there and crossed her arms considering herself safe until shift change. She loved these kids more and more every day.

"Your hair does look like potty chocolate," a tiny voice rang through the pool echoing.

Gou flinched as Sousuke looked up at her slowly. His eyes darkened, and he started systematically nudging children out of his path.

Panic is a funny thing. It can be fast and freezing, or it can go absolutely insane, and one forgets what one is doing. Gou's panic had aspects of both. As Sousuke's footsteps started, she absolutely froze. Her face went cold and goosebumps covered her body. When he was about halfway to her, her voice came back, and she began brandishing the hose as a weapon. His footsteps increased speed, and with a shout, or –let's be honest – a squeal, she fired away.

Now it was Sousuke's turn to go on the defensive, so he blocked her spray with the closest thing he could find: a ten year old, his face – to be exact.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN HERE?!"

Both parties turned to look at Goro standing inside the door of the pool.

The walk of shame to the office away from the prying adolescent armies that the pair led respectively was not one bit entertaining. Gou and Sousuke stood staring straight into Goro's eyes as he berated them. Gou knew that she should be repenting her sins, but she rather forgot it whenever she snuck a glance at her own personal demon. He was too goddamn beautiful. The water had not yet dried on him and was making rivulets trickle through the paths his muscular frame had made.

"Gou, are you listening to me?!"

"Yes!" Gou snapped to attention with a high pitched squeak. She heard Sousuke stifle a laugh beside her and added knitted brows to her cherry red face. Her fists were clenched at her side and itching to connect with her neighbor's strong jawline.

Sousuke reformed his face into a mask of resigned shame as Goro glanced between them with an angry frown.

"Fuck it," he sighed. "Look. If you two don't start getting along, I won't care who your family is or how great your athleticism is. Until you can behave like adults, I can't have you as instructors. I think the rest of the staff and I would love to be free of this place after the kids leave, so you two are on cleaning duty for the week. Afterwards, we can discuss resuming your other duties. Come back tonight. "

"Goro-"

"I don't want to hear it, Gou. I thought you would've acted more professionally than this."

And with those words, he left our beloved couple standing in shock. Gou could feel the rest of her magical summer slipping away and being replaced by fishing band aids and various other unidentifiable objects out of pool filters.

 _What would Rin think? God, I hate myself. Have some self-control!_ She felt her eyes tear up. It was her first job, and she had treated Goro's business and livelihood as a convenience to her. She was appalled at how inconsiderate and immature that she had been.

Sousuke watched her tear up and began to parallel her thoughts but for much different reasons. Something tugged him toward her, and without thinking of what may happen next, he wrapped his arms around the girl who buried her nose in his chest. Tears mixed with water as he held her.

"I'm sorry."

Sousuke felt her shake out the words, and a measure of guilt began tapping at his conscience. "It's okay," he whispered.

And then he made the mistake of kissing the top of her head. He felt her body go rigid, and after a moment, she looked up at him. Her eyes were puffy and a bit of snot was peeking out of her nose, and goddamn it all he was afraid. He felt the cold pit of his stomach open up in front of this pitiful creature for whom he should definitely not harbor fear. Then her gaze broke away, and she simply left him still standing like a statue in Goro's stuffy office that smelled of chlorine and pizza questioning why he could not manage to be an idiot just once.

 **I know that I'm slow and horrible. Don't forgive me.**


	5. Making Friends

"Stop scratching your head. What's wrong with you? Do you have lice?"

Gou took her hand from the offending spot at Hana's irritated words. She knew that she should be listening to her friend, but she kept zoning out. She kept returning to that spot on top of her head where that god damn beautiful whale shark had… kissed her. Just the thought made her whole face turn red.

"If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm going absolutely murder you!

Gou was walking with Hana, and they had approximately two blocks till they split to go their separate ways – Hana to her job and Gou to clean a pool where undoubtedly Sousuke would be lounging around doing absolutely nothing but making her life a living hell.

"Sousuke and I got into a fight."

Hana blew the hair out of her face. "And this one is different why? Did you guys kiss and make up?"

Gou's whole body crawled with cold making every hair stand on end. After walking rigidly in silence, Hana glanced at her, and in her utter joy, stopped and grabbed Gou by the shoulders.

"Oh. My. God! You totally did! You two finally are fessing up. I have been praying for this day!" Her eyes lit, and she leaned in. "I want every detail! Was it a hot make-out session?"

"What?!," Gou squawked. "We didn't make-out, and I did NOT kiss him!"

Hana let her disappointment escape in a sigh before she continued walking. "Alas, I'll be old and grey before you realize what a hunk you have. Oh! The speedo! True proof he's gifted in every physical area!"

"Hana! Don't say that! People are going to hear you!"

Gou loved her friend, but she did want to kill her at times. Hana was overbearing and kept pushing her and Sousuke together with insinuations that despite Gou's best efforts she was starting to believe after this morning. Feelings that she had tossed out the window were poking their heads up like little demons.

"I just want you to hear me, Gou," whined Hana.

Gou rolled her eyes. "Not happening." But the usual tone wasn't in her voice.

"Ah well. It was good while it lasted. So why is this fight so upsetting?"

Gou told Hana everything about her friends in the pool closet, the small armies of children, her clever insults, Souske's less than satisfactory ones, and Goro's disappointment. But she didn't say anything about the kiss, but it was really the only thing that she could think about. The damn spot kept throbbing on her head.

"Sousuke has been your friend for most of your life and your brother's, hasn't he? Just make up. He probably wants that too."

Hana's rational words opened a bit of bitterness in Gou's heart. She didn't know what had happened before Sousuke left. Gou met her after that, but Gou remembered it even though she tried not to.

"Most of my life, huh?" Gou's voice came out bitter, but they had to split up, so she only received a raised eyebrow and a wave from Hana before they said goodbye.

She walked slower than normal after the split not caring if she was late. They didn't clock in anyway. She could always write that she was there on time. She didn't want to remember the Sousuke from before. Sure, at first he was an asshole, but then Rin left, and they were alone. She flourished into a tomboy fulfilling Rin's role and her own without any discomfort, but her brother had been important to her. She had started going to a certain spot by the ocean to watch the planes come and go. Sousuke found her there one day. He just sat down after a brief greeting, and he came every day after that. Eventually, Rin was supposed to come visit. She had ran down the stairs dressed to go when her mom looked up suddenly from the table. With a sad smile, she told Gou that Rin had had to stay for a special tournament, and it really couldn't be helped, but maybe she could make it up to her. Gou had come to the beach that day. A familiar body had sat beside her.

"Maybe he's on that one?"

"No. It's too small to carry his ego." Gou snorted at the small joke.

"Maybe that one," she whispered after awhile.

"But that one is leaving?"

"I know. And it's never coming back."

She had cried on his shoulder. He had held her. When she had dried her tears on his shirt, she had glanced up at his cherry red face and a similar sensation had invaded her own. Until like the typical asshole that he was, he ruined any charitable feeling that she harbored.

"Wanna swim, snot face?"

But maybe the anger when she punched him and the feeling of being tossed in the surf by the tall lanky boy had been what she needed. Maybe without him it was harder to smile. And so when she got to the pool and saw him scrubbing away, it suddenly didn't seem so hard to extend the metaphorical olive branch – especially considering the earlier fiasco.

"Hey, asshole!" Sousuke stood up rippling his muscles. Gou gulped. "Who were the five famous Sengoku generals' families?"

Sousuke's face split into a tentative smile. "Mori, Oda, Takeda, Tokugawa, and Uesugi."

"Correct," she said giving him a thumbs up, and all seemed right.

Sousuke cleaned along side her, and they traded questions and answers between each other. There may have been some heckling at incorrect answers involving earlier names they had called each other, but this time they accompanied a smile. It was almost too good in Sousuke's opinion. They were being companionable, but he was wary. Neither of them wished to depart too soon though. Partially it was the fear or Goro's wrath, but for Sousuke it was something else entirely. Gou was there, and she liked him for once.

When everything was spotless (according to Gou who was picky as hell), they collected her backpack and his duffle bag. That was when the silence hit. Somewhere in between asking about which mathematical formula did what and exiting the building through their respective locker rooms the conversation had fizzled to nonexistent.

 _Be interesting. Be interesting._ His mantra was playing over in the background of his mind as they walked down the beach path towards home. But all he could see was the way her eyes shined and the tight grip she had on her backpack strap. He knew she was uncomfortable, so he decided to go out on a limb.

"So… Sorry, I guess. About this morning."

She jerked her head to look at him, and her cheeks darkened to a shade that the lengthening sunset complemented nicely. Her eyes searched his face, and he suddenly felt like he wanted to crawl out of his skin.

"For the fight. You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

"Oh."

The silence stretched for a bit as Sousuke was wracking his brain for another thing to say that might make this inconceivable woman smile. He had already swallowed his pride and apologized, god dammit!

She sighed. "If you weren't such an asshole, I might believe you. What are you going to do if I don't help you study? Decorate my locker with football stickers and rocket ships?"

He smiled. Only Gou would consider that an affront. "You mean dicks?"

"I wasn't going to say it," she spluttered in a way that made his heart race. "You're a dick!"

"No," he corrected with a wink, "I'm _the_ dick."

That was when Gou did something that Sousuke hadn't expected at all. She actually let her eyes flicker down to his package. Gou regretted it the moment it happened. It was – of course – all Hana's fault for her lewd innuendos and unladylike comments. But Gou did it. And she saw that Sousuke saw that she did it, and she proceeded to power walk ahead of him.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

"Away from you!"

C'mon! We were having a good conversation!"

"Can't hear you!"

Sousuke grabbed her arm, and she twisted to push him away, but her foot missed the sidewalk pulling her and her captor off balance and into the sand.

"Get your fat ass off me," Gou wheezed.

Sousuke propped himself up on his arms effectively putting a cage around her. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"What the fuck is wrong with _you_?! You're the one that kissed me!"

Sousuke was shocked but more embarrassed. His wide eyes stared into Gou's angry ones as both their faces turned red. He was really riding the emotional roller coaster tonight. First she makes him depressed, then happy, then angry, then – to top it off – she leaves him feeling guilty. He rolled off of her and stared straight into the sky. He could feel her shifting in the sand getting ready to get up.

"I just wanted… you to feel better."

She went frigid, and he barely heard her statement.

"Like a brother."

He felt almost high. It was like the breeze was pulling his fear out of him once and for all. Maybe it was the magic of the ocean at night. Maybe it was the lack of the gatekeeper known as Rin. Maybe it was how Gou's ponytail brushed the sand.

"Not like a brother," he replied.

And Gou couldn't move. She couldn't breathe as she felt him in turn sit up beside her. She refused to meet his gaze. Her whole body was hot, and she felt like her stomach was going to fly away without her.

"Well, you kiss like one."

She flinched when she felt his hand cup her chin and turn her head. She swore that she didn't care one bit about how his lips looked as dry as hers felt, and she didn't lick her lips at the very thought.

"I can fix that." He whispered as he began coming closer. The heat from his breath only heated her up more. And then –

"Right?" His lip caught on hers with that last word, and she closed her eyes leaning in and lighting up from her lips down to her toes.

Sousuke deepened the kiss pushing back into her until both of them were out of breath and panting having to come up for air. He was floating from the excitement and hoping to see the same reaction from Gou, but he was disappointed. Tears were pricking at her eyes, and confusion crashed over him like a ton of bricks.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't do this." She began getting up and collecting her stuff with a rushed determination.

"Was it that bad?" He knew he wasn't a pro, but he didn't think he was that bad.

"I'm not fucking doing it, Sousuke. You'll just leave again, and I'll have to put my life back together without you!"

Sousuke wanted to tell her she was wrong – that he wasn't going anywhere. He remembered the last week he was in Iwatobi with Gou. She had just received her last ditch rejection letter from a school near Rin, and all she could do was cry, and all he could do was not burden her further. He knew it was wrong, and he knew it would bite him in the ass, but he wanted her to smile and just never mentioned his move to Tokyo. Day after day, he forgot. He had planned to tell her the last day – to suggest they keep in touch, but the words stuck in his throat when she said that she was glad to have a friend like him. He deserved all that he got, and he knew it. He had been a fool to think that the happy redhead that had bounded up to him that day at the swim meet had forgiven him. He hadn't even forgiven himself.

"I want to try again, Gou. I want you to trust me again."

She blinked, and the tears ran down her cheek. He reached out to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry."

She squeezed her eyes shut and thought of the boy that watched the planes with her. She nodded.

"Friends," she said.

His heart fell a bit, but he quickly picked it back up. "Friends."


End file.
